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Disneyland Trip #2

The 2nd trip in 3 days...

Disneyland Trip #1

The girls got passes for their birthday.

The Girls Turn 3!

The family party...

Ben at 7 Weeks

Another Day, Another Blessing

Today I'm thankful for my family. They have loved and supported me my entire life. I am so overwhelmed with joy to know that my children will be raised in an environment where they are so incredibly loved (this picture was taken the day Emma and Maddie were dedicated--of course my grandma is no longer with us, but she certainly left a legacy of love that will never be forgotten).

 

Another Day To Give Thanks...

Today I'm thankful for Kevin. After seven years of marriage, and three kiddos, he is a wonderful and godly husband and father (not to mention one of the hardest working people I know).

 

I'm Thankful For...

A dear friend started posting the things she is thankful for on her facebook page, being that it is the month of thanks, si? She puts something new up everyday, and I've decided to copy her brilliant idea. Honestly, I never even considered it until about 2am this morning as I was feeding Ben. I was kinda grumpy about being awake (especially after having such a hard time falling asleep thanks to my dear friend, Dr. Pepper). As Ben is drifting off to sleep, he smiles, then giggles. This precious little act happens all the time and never ceases to turn my heart into a ginormous pile of mush. It left me thinking of how blessed I am. It seems fitting to give thanks for something everyday and that is what I intend to do. Since Ben inspired this whole thing, today I'm thankful for my children (whoever thought I'd have three of them?); Emma(the giver of the best kisses in the world), Maddie (the sweetest chatterbox ever), and Ben (the cutest smiler/giggler to ever exist with more gas than any baby I've ever held).

 

Helton Halloween 2009

Three Kids is DEFINITELY More Than Two

 

Maddie Grace

 

Emma Joy

 

Benjamin James (on his one month b-day)

Who knew that three kids was so many? :)

Already 3 Weeks Old

 

How on earth is the new guy already three weeks old? It's so hard to believe how fast time flies! Our not so little family is learning the ropes of having three kiddos (which at moments seems like a whole lotta kids). It took a little while to get a routine of sorts going that allowed me to care for Ben, but still make time to play with my girls (and keep the house somewhat clean and the laundry washed). Now that we've gotten that down, I need to get back to cooking dinner again :). Ben has turned out to be a great little guy. He sleeps as well as can be expected at night, waking up twice (but, oh, how I long for the night where he sleeps all the way through). He sleeps alot during the day as well. At the risk of sounding stuck up, he's pretty darn cute too (you know you feel the same way about your own kids, so am I really stuck up, or just being a typical mommy?). I'm looking forward to Ben getting a little bit older so we can start leaving the house more often (you should see what three carseats and two strollers look like in our little Escape...we soooo need a bigger car). All in all, things are good. We are so blessed by our three little ones! Even though the craziness of three can seem overwhelming, I'm really trying to enjoy this season of life...I know that it goes fast!

Baby Ben is here!

Born 10/01/2009 - 8lbs 2oz - 19 inches

Baby Ben is here at last! I was scheduled for a c-section on October 2nd, but Ben decided he was done cooking and my water broke on October 1st. My doctor delivered him via c-section at 5:30 that evening. The c-section went smoothly and my recovery has gone faster this time around than it did with Emma and Maddie. Fortunately, we were spared the complications that came with my last pregnancy. There was no blood transfusion for me, and no trips to childrens hospital. I'm so glad to no longer be pregnant, and to actually have our new little guy here! Thanks so much to everyone whose come by to visit! Kevin has been off work the last week, as has my mom. I'll be sad to see Kevin return to work on Monday. I get my mom for another week (and am so grateful for all her help!). Our church has provided us with delicious dinners this week and it has been such a help to not have to worry about food. We're just so blessed to have such a wonderful family and great friends!

My Baby Shower

My mom and bestie threw me a wonderful baby shower brunch. Not going to lie, it was probably the most fun I've had all pregnancy. Why? Because I ate my heart out...quiche, berries, homemade whipped cream, pastries, juices. I was definitely in my happy place. After I had stuffed my face for an hour or two, we got down to some serious present opening business. It was kind of weird to not get two of everything, but I guess when you're only having one kiddo, you don't really need two carseats, right? My family and friends showered baby Ben with presents galore. He's already a spoiled little guy and doesn't even know it. A special thanks to my mom and Dannielle for all their hard work. The shower was beautiful! And a special thanks to Dannielle who moved into her house about two weeks before the shower!

Family and Friend Baby Shower

Last Minute Trip to San Diego

Kevin and I didn't plan to go to junior high camp, but the opportunity sort of fell on our lap to go with our whole family. Being the spontaneous bunch we are (ha), we packed up the whole house and headed back to Point Loma Nazarene University for a second week, this time bringing our Naughties. The trip wasn't as well photographed as I wish, but here are some pictures our our two trips to the zoo.

High School Camp

Kevin has been serving as our church's youth director for over a year now. When he took the position, I don't think either of us had a clue what to expect. As it turns out, it's been one of the greatest blessings of our families life. I was blessed to serve as a counselor for part of our week at Hume Lake San Diego Summer Camp (I just couldn't leave The Naughties for the whole week), but Kevin got to enjoy the full week. The trip came at the perfect time, just as summer weather became painfully hot :). What a joy it was to be on a college campus that is oceanfront (not so joyous for my hair though). It was our youth's first full length summer camp and it was just awesome! We couldn't have asked for a better speaker, better worship, or a better group of amazing kids. I'm so glad I got to be a part of God's work!

 

 

 

What Else But Disneyland?

Yes, I know that I said in my last post that we were done with Disneyland for the summer. But as it turns out, I had read the schedule wrong. We had one more week than I thought. So we went. It was crowded. It was hot. I loved every second of it.

Our real last trip to Disneyland

If You Think That All We Do Is Go to Disneyland...Well, You're Kinda Right

Disneyland has become one our our favorite places to take the girls. They love it, we love it, and what more could I ask out of a day with my family? Soooooo, it was with a heavy heart that we loaded up the family for this trip, believing it would be our last for a few months...with summer approaching, our Disney passes our blocked out until the very end of August (at which point I will be the size of a hippo):(.. Kevin took the day off work to enjoy one last day with the girls and we were on our way. Here are the photos from our day...one day I will post pictures of the girls someplace besides Disneyland, but really, is there anyplace that makes them happier?

Happy Birthday Lisi...sorry peeps, but that means more Disneyland pictures

Yesterday was Lisi's 11th birthday, so we rounded up some friends and took her to Disneyland (who doesn't want to go to Disneyland for free on their birthday?). It was pretty close to a perfect day (aside from the heat). The lines were short, and the good times just kept on comin'.

Yea for Disneyland

Kevin took a day off work so that we could take the girls to Disneyland one last time before our passes get blocked out for the summer. We had a great time when we weren't having to get out of lines for Emma and Maddie's bad behavior (okay, that only happened once). We took Emma and Maddie to the playhouse Disney show which may have been the highlight of their whole entire life. They met Mickey Mouse (again) and didn't cry (we're making progress) and even gave Minnie Mouse a hug (huge progress).

Disneyland

A day at The Wild Animal Park

Kevin's been off for the last week and a half on spring break. I'm not gonna lie, if there was a way for him to stay home with us all the time, we'd be super happy...but for now we're just enjoying this little break. Sadly, our Disneyland passes have been blocked out for Kevin's entire break, but zoo passes never get blocked out! Anyways, it had been awhile since we'd been to The Wild Animal Park, and I really wanted to see the butterfly exhibit that is only there once a year for a few weeks. As it turns out, I'm not as big of a fan of butterflies as I thought. Oh sure, they're pretty and all...but if they try to land on me; well, that's pretty much the same thing as any bug landing on me, or any spider for that matter. It's not good. We had a great day at the park (aside from those deadly butterflies). The Blackley's joined us, and we spent far more time than I thought possible playing. Here are some photos of the day. I threw in a few pics of the butterflies just as proof that we saw them.

It's a....

boy????? That's right, a boy. My wonderful friend, Dawn, sent me in for an early ultrasound to see if we could detect the babies gender. Low and behold, the ultrasound tech informed us that we're having a boy. I have to admit, I was confused. In my mind I believed that we'd be having a little Isabella (I had even dreamed that I was having a girl). This just threw me for a loop! With that said, and in the spirit of being flexible, I've switched gears from pink to blue.

I'm now close to 15 weeks preggo, and feelin' pretty good. Pregnancy has been kind to me and spared me any major sickness. Here are some blurry ultrasound pictures for your enjoyment :).

 

 

We'll miss you Grandma

My grandma passed away this morning and I just wanted to offer a tribute because she has always been a huge part of my life. She was a loving wife, mother, grandma, and great grandma. I'm so grateful that God allowed her to be in our lives as long as she was. She'll be so missed.

This is a tough week for my family...so keep us in your prayers...and to those who've been praying, thank you! Your prayers have been felt! I love you all!

 

 

 

 

Another Helton is on the way

Yup, that's right...Kevin and I are expecting baby number 3 (and we're assuming there will not be twins this time around). It's time for me to get serious about potty training Emma and Maddie!

 

The Triplets

Emma, Maddie, and Hailey don't know it, but they're going to be best friends someday!

 

 

 

 

Zoo day

Kevin had yesterday off work for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We took advantage of the lovely weather and headed down to meet the Blackley's at the San Diego zoo. We had a great day. Emma and Maddie conquered some serious animal fears, and had a great time!

A day at the San Diego zoo

Randomness

The girls really like to dress themselves now, especially Maddie. Here are some photographs of their keen fashion sense!

 

 

 

 

Progress!

My Aunt Becky finished painting the flowers all over the girls room after two days of hard work! Here's what their room looks like. The room isn't done yet, but it is definitely looking like a little girl room!

 

 

 

 

It's About Time!

We spent so much time decorating Emma and Maddie's first room in our townhouse, only to move six months later (had we known that we'd be selling our townhouse, we wouldn't have put in so much effort). We weren't able to jump in and decorate Emma and Maddie's new room as quickly, but we're finally making progress. Kevin painted, and my aunt Becky is painting flowers on the wall as we speak. Oh yes, a special shout out to my aunt Becky for taking the time to paint millions of flowers on the wall during her visit to SoCal from Washington! There is still lots to come. Chair railing, curtains, bedding...but we're getting there!